Founded in 1854 and originally known as the Catholic University of Ireland and subsequently as the Royal University, the university became UCD in 1908 and a constituent college of the National University of Ireland (NUI).
In 1997, UCD became an autonomous university within the loose federal structure of the NUI and UCD students are awarded degrees of the National University of Ireland.
UCD offers one of the most diverse ranges of postgraduate opportunities in Ireland, delivered across six Colleges and led by academic experts. Programmes span doctoral, research and taught master’s degrees, as well as diplomas and certificates designed to support both career entry and progression.
Ranked 100th globally in the QS World University Rankings 2027, UCD is now among the world’s top 100 universities, reflecting the quality and global relevance of its teaching and research.
The university’s modular approach to education allows flexibility and supports continuous professional development, ensuring students gain practical, industry-relevant skills alongside academic knowledge.
Through its six Colleges, UCD offers Ireland’s most diverse range of graduate opportunities. Programmes are led by academic experts and offer students unparalleled choice at all levels: recognised and valued by academic institutions and employers around the world.
UCD offers doctoral programmes, taught and research masters, graduate diploma, certificate programmes and higher diplomas. Its taught programmes are modularised to facilitate access, continuing professional development and life-long learning.
UCD graduates are consistently employed by the world’s leading employers. The career services UCD offers its students are top class. Through the Jumpstart programme, international students begin their preparations before they arrive on campus. They have access to interview preparation, internship opportunities, and alumni connections.
UCD takes great care to ensure that all of our students feel supported throughout their time here. From dedicated student advisers, to academic supports and health and welfare services, you can be sure that students are in safe hands at UCD.
Professors, lecturers and tutors can assist on academic matters, and there are dedicated and specialist student services to help you with any social, personal and emotional matters; these include Student Advisers, Chaplains and the Counselling Service.
UCD has lots of experience dealing with the areas of difficulty that can affect you, and it is easy (and confidential) for you to meet someone who can discuss any problems or queries you might have.
Students can available of on or off campus accommodation. UCD on-campus accommodation is a vibrant student community with over 3,000 students living on a state-of-the-art campus only 5km from Dublin city centre.
UCD Residences provides for students a mix of apartments, halls and catered accommodation, and all UCD accommodation is single-room and apartment-style.
As a guideline, accommodation fees range from €6,757 – €10,675, depending on the type of accommodation. The “Res Life” social programme helps to foster a sense of community within the residences.
There are 5 UCD libraries. Accommodation for readers consists of some 3,150 reading and study places, including some single and group study and PBL rooms, and social learning areas.
The Library as a whole contains over 800,000 print volumes, and access to over 260,000 e-books. Almost 80% of stock is on open access.
Online services can be accessed 24/7 whether you are at home or abroad through UCD Connect. UCD Connect gives you access to your personal files, library resources and online learning resources. A large amount of software is available to students at no charge when you come to UCD, including AutoCAD, EndNote, Microsoft Office and SPSS.
The UCD Student Health Service, located in the UCD Student Centre, provides on-campus medical and psychiatric care to students. The service includes doctor and nurse appointments, STI testing, cervical smears, vaccinations and blood tests.
The main UCD Belfield campus has a huge range of facilities beyond academic, including: restaurants, cafés, a bookshop, a bike shop, a barber shop, a post office, a bank, a bar, a grocery store, a large student centre and outstanding sports facilities. Students' Union shops are run by the UCD Students' Union and are stocked with student needs in mind.
There are areas all over campus where students can hang out, notably the UCD Global Lounge, which is an area designed for and staffed by students. Campus safety is a priority, and 24-hour security is in operation.
The Student Centre and the UCD Sport and Fitness complex are the hub of student life on campus.The modern Sport and Fitness Centre has an extensive range of amenities, catering for students of all fitness levels, from casual gym-user to Olympic athlete.
Facilities include a 50 metre swimming pool, gym, dance and spinning studios, sauna and jacuzzi, three multi-purpose sports halls, four squash courts, handball/racquetball alley, climbing wall, changing facilities, performance and squad gyms, 17 natural grass pitches (including the UCD Bowl, home ground to both UCD RFC and UCD AFC), six synthetic 5-a-side pitches, sand-based hockey pitch, synthetic rugby, GAA and soccer pitches and the National Hockey Stadium.
UCD students are the most engaged in Ireland with over 100 clubs and societies in which they can engage and explore new interests and friendships. Student societies and networks are a great way to explore your interests and develop new ones.
Many of the societies bring together international students from different backgrounds, and networks such as the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) and International Student Society run lots of events and activities throughout the year, including trips around Ireland.Some of our many accreditations:
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
By TopUniversities
Climbed 18 places compared to 2026
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 126 | 118 | 100 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By U.S. News & World Report
Dropped 13 places compared to 2026
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 253 | 245 | 258 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By Times Higher Education
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2027 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 201 | 201 | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By Shanghai Jiao Tong University
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2026 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 301 | 301 | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Based on 100 reviews
I like this university, the environment is beautiful and the professors are kind. I study Economics in this university, the lectures are really interesting! Also, Dublin is safety. And Ireland is a quiet and beautiful country.
I have really loved my experience at UCD so far; I never imagined that undertaking an Irish law degree would be so internationally focused, with the courses I have been taking being focused on a range of domestic, international and global actors. My favourite courses have been anything involving human rights and property law---they have been the real highlight of my degree so far. Campus life, outside of academics, is so engaging and truly adds to the international experience you get at UCD.
UCD is a great school and is great If you're career oriented, staff are pleasant, gym is amazing and the social scene is great too. The cafes and food is actually pretty decent as well, however they're not open too late. Very modern campus and is easy to get too as well.
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2025. Universities with a score above 4.0 (out of 5) in any of the 7 award categories, receive Badges of Excellence. Congratulations!
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